Free light events set to brighten up winter nights across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire

A series of free interactive light events are set to ‘brighten the dark nights’ of Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire over the winter months.

Presented by Appetite, Light Up Winter will take place in Middleport, Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme, featuring immersive light installations, projections and sound experiences created by internationally acclaimed artists.

The first event, Light Up Middleport, will be held in Middleport Park on 21 and 22 January from 4pm to 8pm. It will feature illuminated boxes flashing in time with residents’ heartbeats, flying fish made from recycled plastic bottles and a large interactive structure where visitors can create melodies and light patterns using simple hand movements.

Light Up Hanley will take place in Albion Square on 3 and 4 February from 5pm to 8pm, including a multi-sensory musical sculpture made up of more than 200 illuminated chime bars and a five-metre-high fortune-telling fruit machine. It will also feature a large-scale projection onto the Town Hall co-created with young people from Stoke-on-Trent College, YMCA, Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College, Pinc College and artists Illuminos.

The series will conclude with Newcastle under Light outside the Guildhall on 4 March from 6pm to 9pm. The event will see a projection celebrating local people and places, a forest-inspired installation exploring breath and breathing together, and giant inflatable creatures that respond to hugs and squeezes.

Appetite Interim Director Heather Dowler said: “Light Up Winter is about bringing people together during the darker months with free, joyful experiences for our communities. Each event offers something different, playful and fun to brighten the dark nights of winter.”

The events are free to attend with no booking required. Refreshments will be available to purchase at all events. British Sign Language tours will be available at each location and will need pre-booking by contacting askus@appetite.org.uk.

Light Up Winter is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme, with additional support from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Denise Coates Foundation and Middleport Matters. The series is delivered in partnership with Middleport Matters, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, Newcastle-under-Lyme BID and Stoke Creates.